Plaque is a mucous film constantly forming on teeth. It harbors bacteria and is the primary cause of tooth decay as well as periodontal or gum disease. Periodontal disease is the major cause of tooth loss in adults.
When you eat, the bacteria in plaque uses the sugar in your food and produces acid and other by-products that irritate the teeth and gums. More specifically, the acids attack the tooth enamel and break it down. To further complicate the problem the sticky plaque tends to hold the acids on the teeth prolonging the attack and further promoting decay. Meanwhile, the irritants in plaque inflame the gums making them tender and likely to bleed.
If the plaque is not removed by careful and, preferably, daily cleaning, it tends to build up. This allows the bacteria to form into colonies that are particularly harmful. Over time, cavities can form in the teeth and, the gums can become so irritated they pull away from the teeth. Thus, deep pockets are formed between the teeth and gums. These pockets become filled with bacteria and eventually pus. If the disease is not properly treated, healthy teeth eventually become loose and may in fact be lost.
A number of dental devices are known for controlling and removing plaque from teeth. The toothbrush is particularly effective in removing plaque from the exposed surfaces of the teeth including the inner and outer faces and the chewing surfaces. The bristles of a toothbrush, however, are not effective in reaching between the teeth and cleaning the plaque from the surfaces of the adjacent teeth that are in juxtaposition. Unfortunately, the space between teeth is particularly susceptible to the buildup of plaque. In order to avoid dental decay, this plaque must be removed.
Dental floss and toothpicks are known, useful devices for cleaning between teeth. Dental floss is particularly useful in cleaning the juxtaposed surfaces of adjacent teeth. The floss is wrapped around the index fingers of each hand. The floss extending between the fingers is pulled taut and carefully worked down between the teeth into the small pocket that exists between the gum papilla and the side of a tooth. The floss may then be moved up and down to clean the side of the tooth as well as lift any plaque from the pocket.
It should be recognized, however, that dental floss is only effective when properly utilized and the proper technique of use is difficult to learn. In addition, many individuals find the use of floss inconvenient, time consuming and even frustrating. Thus, it should be appreciated that for many individuals dental floss is not an effective solution to the problem of removing plaque from between teeth.
If carefully used, the pointed end of a wooden or plastic toothpick may be pushed between adjacent teeth to scrape plaque from the juxtaposed surfaces of the teeth. People who use toothpicks regularly, however, tend to damage and actually scrape away the gum papilla thereby creating an even larger space between the teeth that trap food particles and hold plaque. Preferably, this undesirable result should be avoided if at all possible.
Recognizing the shortcomings of dental floss and toothpicks in removing plaque from between teeth, some efforts have been made to design a new dental device for this purpose. Perhaps the most significant device of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,570,653 to Wolf. Wolf discloses a straight piece of resilient material having a substantially V-shaped cross-section. The device may be moved back and forth between teeth while straddling the gum papilla with the smooth sides of the device extending down along the juxtaposed surfaces of the teeth.
While this device does provide for relatively effective cleaning of plaque from juxtaposed teeth surfaces while protecting the gum papilla, it is not without its disadvantages. More specifically, because the device is straight it is difficult to manipulate over the lip and across the gum of the individual whose teeth are being cleaned. The device also includes square, sharp edges on each side. These edges tend to cut into the gum when the device is pushed down into the pocket between the gum papilla and adjacent teeth to clean the sides of the teeth.. Cuts of this type are exceedingly painful and no doubt often lead an individual to stop using the device. A need is therefore identified for an improved dental device for cleaning plaque from teeth and more particularly from the juxtaposed surfaces of adjacent teeth.